Genuine Concern

Johnathan, upon entering the room, witnessed the chaos of nurses struggling to get a new IV and leads on Finlay, who was starting to wake up. Unfortunately, he didn't care much for the boy yet and instead approached Khunara. "Is everything ok in here? Seems a little chaotic, do you need a drink or something to eat?" He asked, concerned about the fact that she'd been busy since the moment they entered the underground world. His bitter thoughts of Cynthia had vanished the moment he realized Khun had been woken up with this chaos, and hadn't left its side for even a small break since then. "There's a small kitchen in the medical wing, I can go and grab you something. Or I can find someone else to monitor the kids if you need a break." Johnathan offered with a gentle tone. He wanted to reach out and touch her shoulder for some reason - perhaps to express his genuine worry, but he ultimately decided against it. He picked up on her introverted habits fairly quickly and didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
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Lydia took note of Johnathans absence and sighed, assuming why he left. "Thia... You know that John has feelings for you, right? I mean, it's pretty obvious." She said while sitting up straight in her bed. Her fondness of Johnathan had really grown over the past year, and she'd begun to see him almost like a protective older brother. John didn't try and control her in any way, but was always looking out for her. She wanted to return the favor for once.

"Lydia... that's not something you should be focused on right now." Cynthia responded, after taking a quick glance around the room to ensure they were alone.

"It is though. John is a really good friend at this point, he put his life on the line to help you harbor fugitives under his house. Everyone can see that he would do anything for your attention... everyone except you."

Cynthia broke eye contact and looked down; on one hand, she wanted her private feelings to remain private, but on the other, she'd never denied her little sister answers. She sighed and looked back up to Lydia; "I know he has feelings for me. And to be honest, I really like him too. But I have so much on my plate already - soon, I'll be leaving to meet someone really important in hopes that we might get funding and more resources. You and I both have a lot on our plates, and we don't have time for personal relationships." She attempted to help her sister relate in some way, so that she'd understand why there would never be anything other than friendship with Johnathan.

"Speak for yourself Thia." Lydia started, her face twisting slightly into an expression of disappointment. "If you've known this whole time that John has those feelings for you, why do you hold his hand, kiss his cheek, and lay all over him when we're trying to relax? You're leading him on, you're hurting him." She paused when Cynthia broke their eye contact again, allowing her sister to take a moment to process before she spoke again. "Thia, he's never done anything to hurt you. So, you need to stop hurting him. Whether it be because you crave what you feel like you can't have, or whether it be you enjoying the attention you get from him - it needs to stop. He deserves better than that."

Cynthia fought back the urge to cry, but a rebellious tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away with her sleeve before nodding. "You're probably right. I just don't want him to hate me for rejecting him. We've built so much together."

Lydia smoothed her sisters hair before holding her hand. "He could never hate you. But the longer you wait, the longer it will take for him to move on. Maybe go and find him now, rip off the band-aid."